Why Heckmann's Shares Jumped Today

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of drilling services company Heckmann jumped 12% today after announcing quarterly earnings.

So what: Revenue grew more than 100% to $113.2 million, topping estimates of $110.1 million. On the bottom line, the company made a profit of $5 million, or $0.03 per share, when Wall Street was expecting a loss of $0.03 per share.

Now what: The company expects revenue to more than double again this year as high oil prices keep drilling rigs busy. There's been a lot of pricing pressure for Heckmann recently but if demand picks up that should subside somewhat and profits will follow accordingly. The stock is trading at 17 times forward earnings, which may be reasonable if the bottom line improves, but I'd rather buy after seeing a solid profit rather than just project one in a volatile pricing environment.

Interested in more info on Heckmann? Add it to your watchlist by clicking here.

The article Why Heckmann's Shares Jumped Today originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Travis Hoium has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of Heckmann and has the following options: Long Jan 2014 $4 Calls on Heckmann and Short Jan 2014 $3 Puts on Heckmann. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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